An estimated 70,000 travellers and holidaymakers may face disruption today as union members at Ireland's three main airports meet to discuss the Government's plans to break up Aer Rianta.
Leaders of the four main unions, who believe the plans threaten jobs, are expected to agree a strategy to resist the move. This is likely to include a threat of industrial action.
The unions will also call for the plans to be postponed until an independent panel of experts is appointed to examine the most effective way of developing the State's main airports.
Large-scale meetings of SIPTU's 2,700 members, who represent 70 per cent of airport workers, are to take place between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Today's meetings are likely to impact on air travel during one of the busiest periods of the year for Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports.
More than 50,000 passengers are due to pass through Dublin Airport today, while almost 20,000 more are expected to pass through Shannon and Cork.
Under Minister for Transport Mr Brennan's plans, the State airport authority will be broken up into three companies with three autonomous boards running Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports.
Mr Brennan said the three facilities will compete with each other and "vigorously pursue new business, free from central control."
"This healthy competitive tension and unrestricted quest for new routes, airlines and passengers will grow the business to the benefit of the airports, the regions, tourism, job creation and the country overall," Mr Brennan said.
Hundreds of million euro in debt, owed by Cork and Shannon airports, will be transferred to the company running the Dublin facility. The status quo, where none of the State airports receive Exchequer funding, will remain.
Legislation allowing for the break-up will come before the Dáil in the autumn and the move itself is expected to happen by July 2004.